Looking at the Great Brain Race Book Review

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Brain Race: An Examination

Globalization, evolution and technology. It's notable that when many professionals discuss these elements, they talk about them with fear and apprehension. On the other hand Ben Wildavsky presents the rapid evolution of mankind across the globe and the manner in which higher education is being transformed with celebration and open arms. Wildavsky looks particularly at the phenomenon of international students studying outside their homes, increasing each year. The elite universities that exist around the world aren't just those that exist in the western hemisphere, but in places like Saudi Arabia and Russia. With the rapid development of the internet, satellite campuses have become an even more growing trend, and that more and more opportunities are expanding to more people. Wildavsky demonstrates that the fervor created in the international arena characterized by the desire to get ahead and become more and more elite, creates a global marketplace for educational institutions and is offering up a wealth of opportunities.

Summary

Wildavsky uses his extensive reporting experience throughout the world and records what one can interpret as being a high level of international mobility of students and faculty, along with the rapid expansion of campuses along with the expansion of university rankings being taken to a more international arena. Wildavsky uses words like "global meritocracy" and that really couldn't be more accurate in describing what is actually a spread of knowledge all around the globe, something which is beneficial to all people. Wildavsky is able to present his argument in a truly cohesive manner: he discusses how universities are able to both offers a large proportion of knowledge while offering skilled individuals, such as students, the help that they need to make use of it. Wildavsky also describes the use of league tables as something being used more and more frequently as a means of demonstrating the growth and importance of a particular university and the university scene as a whole in nations all around the globe.

One aspect of the book which is very strong is the fact that Wildavsky embraces the competition set forth by this new regime.

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Wildavsky demonstrates that as international universities compete with one another, the world is largely becoming reshaped. Wildavsky organizes his book as follows: he looks at the internationalization of student bodies, the competition and rigor among universities for international students; the following chapter looks at the patterns involved in countries in starting satellite campuses in regions where the need for higher education is pronounced. The following chapters look at the rigor between nations as they fight for the status of being world class, and all tries which desire to create an international system of university rankings.

Such a book could be truly influential to managers and leaders in that it demonstrates the importance of competition. The book essentially demonstrates without a doubt about how competition spurs growth and development. In fact, competition might be the one main thing to spark growth and development in such a rapid and rigorous manner. Leaders and managers can benefit from reading this book as they can see how to overcome some of the challenges of competition and how to use such a thing to their best advantage.

My Critique

Wildavsky proves his thesis very strongly. He offers numerous pieces of evidence to support each claim that he makes. Wildavsky also writes in a highly compelling and deeply persuasive manner, so that the reader is readily swayed into supporting his viewpoint. One arena where the book could be improved is that so much of the evidence that Wildavsky offers is anecdotal. In fact, Wildavsky uses exclusively anecdotal evidence as a means of supporting his point. He doesn't rely heavily on research studies or any other form of statistical research. Thus, while he can pile on case after case to support a claim, if one steps back and looks at the book, one can readily see that a lot of the evidence used is really just a handful of stories.

However, Wildavsky is very deft at presenting some of the most intricate….....

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